The milk minister who didn't know the price of a pinta (It's 46p, by the way)

MP Jim Paice was forced into the admission on BBC Radio 4's Farming Today

The minister responsible for farming admitted yesterday that he did not know what a pint of milk costs.

Jim Paice should have been prepared for the question, which is frequently put to politicians to test how in touch they are with normal life.

But he was forced to confess his ignorance, saying that his wife was in charge of the family dairy purchases.

It was an embarrassing gaffe by the Tory Agriculture Minister, during an interview about milk producers who are threatening a mass protest against price cuts, including possible action to disrupt the Olympics.

On Radio 4’s Farming Today, he said that he and his wife Ava buy their milk either from a supermarket which pays a higher rate to producers than some big chains, or the corner shop in his South East Cambridgeshire constituency.

Asked if he knew the cost of a pint, Mr Paice, a former farm manager, said: ‘No, because my wife buys most of it. But I have checked where it comes from.’

The price of a pint of milk is 46p according to the Office for National Statistics, though it can cost far more in small shops or by home delivery, and far less in bulk at supermarkets.

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The National Farmers’ Union says dairy farmers are facing ‘crippling cuts’ to the wholesale price, which are driving them out of business. From August 1, many will receive less than 25p per litre, which they say is 5p below cost price.

Mr Paice said the cuts were a ‘massive burden’ for dairy farmers and he supported their right to a peaceful protest calling for them to be reversed, but did not back any ‘militant action’.

The average price of a pint of milk is now 46p - But Jim Paice didn't know that

‘When you see that the price of bottled water is far more than the price of milk per litre, then there’s clearly something wrong with the marketplace,’ he said.

‘But every supermarket, every retailer has to compete and, if others are selling their milk for less, they have to sell their milk for less to be able to sell any milk at all. That is the market in operation.’

Earlier this year Tory MP Nadine Dorries described David Cameron and George Osborne as ‘posh boys who don’t know the price of milk’.

Mary Creagh, Labour’s environment spokesman, said: ‘It turns out that it is not just David Cameron and George Osborne who don’t know the price of milk. The Farming Minister is completely out of touch with reality too.

‘Farmers and consumers will be shocked that he doesn’t know the price of milk when people are struggling to pay for their weekly shop and there’s a crisis in the dairy industry.

‘At the dairy summit tomorrow, Jim Paice will call for farmers to get a decent price for their milk - the trouble is, he is so incompetent he hasn’t a clue what it should be.’

The National Farmers Union have said dairy farmers are facing 'crippling price cut'. Pictured, a female farmer milks a cow in Gloucestershire.

Margaret Thatcher may have abolished free school milk, but as a grocer's daughter she did know its price.

The Iron Lady refused to increase the price of a pint to 1.5p in 1979.

She told her agriculture minister Peter Walker in a letter: ‘I do not believe such a large increase is possible politically. 1.5p is a great addition to the housewife’s budget. 1p is all she will bear.’

In 1992, US President George H W Bush, was forced to admit he did not know how much a gallon of milk cost during a debate with Bill Clinton.

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The milk minister who didn't know the price of a pinta (It's 46p, by the way)